Twig and Turtle for Early Readers

One of my finds at the wonderful Bath Book Bash in Bath,Maine two weeks ago was Twig and Turtle, No Hard Feelings by JenniferJacobson. I’m new to this early reader series, coming in at number #6, but nowthat I’ve found it, gift giving for my eight-year-old Grand One, Emily, is inthe bag.

Pop singer Mae, with a hit environmental song and accompanyingdance called Mae’s Say that sisters Twig and Turtle love to perform, iscoming to town to visit her cousin - Twig’s friend Lottie. Lottie can inviteone friend to dinner. Who will it be? When Twig experiences two rejections inone day, she stumbles upon a TED talk speaker who loses his fear of rejectionby actually trying to get people to say NO to him one hundred times. When Twig’sand Turtle’s family agrees to the challenge of gathering five rejections in oneweek, Turtle is off and running. “May I have a taste,” she asks a stranger witha Danish.

Sometimes rejection is hard to come by. But Mom, Dad, Twig,and Turtle each have their turn at the prize of being royalty for a night. Twigrealizes that there are often reasons for rejection and learns to take themless personally. When Mae surprises Twig and Turtle with a visit in response toTwig’s letter, everyone gets to sing and dance Mae’s Say with its famousartist. Illustration sketches by Paula Franco add to Twig and Turtle’scharm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Praise for Twig and Turtle come from School Library Journaland The Horn Book. My Christmas shopping for Emily is done!

At the Book Bash, Jennifer Jacobson shared a table withJamie Hogan, illustrator of Jacobson’s picture book Oh, Chickadee!